2006 mac pro CPU upgrade: where can i get...

[bozz2006]

a magnetic exchangeable head screw driver long enough to reach the torx screws that hold the CPU heatsink onto the logicboard? According to this guy (http://www.o0o.it/pro/), the shaft needs to be at least 20 centimeters, or about 8 inches. I'm not having much luck. Help me out?

edit: THIS (http://www.tecratools.com/product933.html) interchangeable head screwdriver looks like it will work, and it has a magnet in it, so that is a good thing. I'm just not thrilled with the $17 shipping.

[bearcatrp]

Not sure where you can get one but would like to know what your upgrading from to what your upgrading to? I am planning on upgrading my 2Ghz quad mac pro to an octo but the price for the 3Ghz is outrageous. What did you pay for your chips?

[bozz2006]

I did end up biting the bullet and buying the one i linked to.

I am upgrading a 2.66 4 core (X5150 Woodcrest) to a 2.66 8 core (X5355 Clovertown).

I bought the processors used on ebay. $155 each.

[mlchang]

Ah Ha!

I was watching those processors on eBay today too...
I curse you!

Not really.

Anyway, thinking of trying to find more x5355s or even considering some E5345s.

But really, can we work out a deal on that screwdriver if it works out okay? I don't feel like hunting for one. I have been looking all over for one too. Xcelite makes a 9" T15 blade, but I can't find it anywhere...

Thanks

[bearcatrp]

I did end up biting the bullet and buying the one i linked to.

I am upgrading a 2.66 4 core (X5150 Woodcrest) to a 2.66 8 core (X5355 Clovertown).

I bought the processors used on ebay. $155 each.

Were these new? I am looking for 3ghz ones. Cheapest I found is around 700 used. If yours were new, will definately keep my eyes open on ebay. Thanks. Keep us posted how things go when you get it done.

[bozz2006]

They were used.

[bozz2006]

Ah Ha!

I was watching those processors on eBay today too...
I curse you!

Not really.

Anyway, thinking of trying to find more x5355s or even considering some E5345s.

But really, can we work out a deal on that screwdriver if it works out okay? I don't feel like hunting for one. I have been looking all over for one too. Xcelite makes a 9" T15 blade, but I can't find it anywhere...

Thanks

We may be able to work something out:cool:

[Abidubi]

Ah Ha!

I was watching those processors on eBay today too...
I curse you!

Not really.

Anyway, thinking of trying to find more x5355s or even considering some E5345s.

But really, can we work out a deal on that screwdriver if it works out okay? I don't feel like hunting for one. I have been looking all over for one too. Xcelite makes a 9" T15 blade, but I can't find it anywhere...

Thanks


You can buy an extension at most tool stores for about $8. All you need is one of those magnetic interchangeable bit screwdrivers. It goes right where the bit would and the bit slides into the end of it just like on the screwdriver. I found them in the drill-bit section.

[bozz2006]

I looked at those too. The problem with every one of them that i saw was that the diameter of the "head" was too large to fit through the tight opening around the heatsinks.

[robinp]

Is there an easy to follow and comprehensive set of instructions on how to do this anywhere? I have exactly the same model and am thinking of doing the same trick.

[bozz2006]

not exactly. I haven't done the upgrade yet, between these three websites...

Number One (http://www.hardmac.com/articles/70/page1/)

Number Two (http://www.o0o.it/pro/)

Number Three (http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2832&p=3)

...I'm pretty sure I can get it done. I've not swapped the processors, but I have done everything up to removing the heat sinks, and it's pretty straight forward.

[bozz2006]

So I did the upgrade this afternoon. Took me a little over an hour, and I took my time. It was pretty straight forward, only hit a couple kinks, and my computer Just went from a Geo Tracker to a Hummer. My I-4 has become a V8!

Just a couple things I wanted to point out:

1. I couldn't get the left track of the memory cage removed, and decided to give it a go without removing it. I got the job done without removing this piece.

2. I bought individual allen wrenches today to remove the heat sinks. I didn't need them. I also paid WAY too much for a 12" interchangeable head screwdriver. Yeah, I didn't need that either. The way I removed the heat sinks was by taking a standard length magnetic screwdriver with an interchangeable head, like:
http://news.thomasnet.com/images/large/814/814906.jpg

and added an extension like:
http://www.blackrhinotools.com/image.php?productid=16683

and it was plenty long.

The most PITA part of the upgrade was plugging the lower heatsink power lead back in to the logic board. It is near the lower part of the memory cage, and my hands are big, making this part tough. If your wife is willing to help you with the upgrade, this would probably be a task better accomplished by her than you.

Doing some testing right now, and it blows through renderings and encoding tasks like crazy!

[bearcatrp]

When you click on about this mac, are the new chips recognized? I'm chompin at the bit to upgrade my 2ghz quad but want the 3ghz octo and these suckers are expensive, even used. Since I will be going to a higher temp chip, wondering if i'll melt the mobo. Hope you did some tests before the change to show the difference. Big time envy!:(

[bozz2006]

'about this mac' just says 2.66 GHz unknown

everything else registers 8 cores. did an appletv encode of Superbad with handbrake averaging 123 fps.

powerfractal went from about 32 gigaflops to over 72 gigaflops!


temps aren't a problem. i set smcfancontrol at 1000rpm for cpu fan and exhaust, and the highest the temp got in 2 hours of hard core crunching was 120 degrees farenheit. during browsing it stays at about 85-90 degrees.

I LOVE it.

[bearcatrp]

How much thermal paste did you use? Never done this before but from the different web sites explaining this, looks to put and even coat across the entire chip. Going to keep my eyes on ebay. Might drop to the 2.66 to save some cash. Don't want to drop lower than that.

[bozz2006]

I bought this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FVI91U) to prepare the components, and ended up using about 2/3 of the tube. like you said, i did a thin even coating.

I went the ebay route too. went from 2 2.66GHz dual core chips to 2 2.66 GHz quad core chips.

got them for $155 each on ebay.

[bozz2006]

and don't worry about melting the motherboard. The general belief is that all the internals of every mac pro of that generation is the same, from the 2.0GHz quad core to the 3.0 GHz 8-core.

[grue]

How much thermal paste did you use? Never done this before but from the different web sites explaining this, looks to put and even coat across the entire chip. Going to keep my eyes on ebay. Might drop to the 2.66 to save some cash. Don't want to drop lower than that.


http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf

[bozz2006]

guess i did it wrong. seems to be working perfectly... guess i got lucky.

[grue]

guess i did it wrong. seems to be working perfectly... guess i got lucky.

Just keep an eye on your temps. It'll probably be fine, though.

[bozz2006]

They've been good. Doing regular work with CS3, they go around 100 degrees farenheit. 90 degress when doing itunes, safari, etc. and got no higher than 120 degrees running handbrake

[bearcatrp]

Thanks for the info on arcticsilver. From reading the info, am I correct NOT to run continuous for 200 hrs but run for a bit then shut down?

[Concorde Rules]

Thanks for the info on arcticsilver. From reading the info, am I correct NOT to run continuous for 200 hrs but run for a bit then shut down?

Yes, your meant to give it cycles.

:)

(From my old pushing hardware to the utter limit days)

[bearcatrp]

Just put in a bid for 2.33 octo's. 80 watt ratings and pretty cheap (if I don't get over bid). I'll use these until the 3ghz one's come down. I'll find out tuesday if I win the bid Still will be an improvement from my 2ghz quad and close to the same thermo ratings.

[bozz2006]

that should be a huge improvement. I thought long and hard before opting for the 2.66's over the 2.33's. hope you win. My aim right now is to figure out if it's possible for "about this mac" to correctly report the processors. I have windows xp running under bootcamp, and windows reports them correctly....

[bozz2006]

just wanted to add, the screws holding the heatsinks to the logicboard can be removed with a T15 torx, OR a 3mm allen key.

[bearcatrp]

Thanks for the info. Hope I can do this by this weekend. BTW bozz, where in minnesota do you live?I am up by St Cloud.

[Tesselator]

Yeah, I've done a few of these.

You actually don't need the long shaft driver and a simple allen wrench will work fine.

If you have a long shafted torx driver then that's better but not needed. The danger is that when you're loosening the bolts - if they release with a jerk you could potentially bend a heat exchanger fin. That won't affect anything but then you'll have a bent fin. :D Place a finger to take the brunt if it does give way all at once and you'll be fine with the allen wrench. ;)

[11800506]

To change About this Mac to the right info these instructions should work:

http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050809204632497&lsrc=osxh

[bozz2006]

Thanks! I'll give it a shot later and report back.

[Tesselator]

guess i did it wrong. seems to be working perfectly... guess i got lucky.

Nah, you probably did it right. Arcane methodology like in that PDF is designed to standardize the instructions and procedure so newbs don't squeeze out a table-spoon full and mess up their systems. Critical is getting the two surfaces clean tho. I use acetone to get them super clean myself. If there's finger oil or hairs etc. there's some potential for overheating. They won't break tho - the 5300 series will shut down at the sign of danger - so if they do either just redo it. I bet it's all good tho. :D

[bozz2006]

it says to navigate in library to the coreservices folder, which doesn't exist on either of my macs...:(

[11800506]

Are you sure you're looking in the /System/Library/ folder and not /Username/Library/? Because I can find the file on my MBP

[bozz2006]

Nah, you probably did it right. Arcane methodology like in that PDF is designed to standardize the instructions and procedure so newbs don't squeeze out a table-spoon full and mess up their systems. Critical is getting the two surfaces clean tho. I use acetone to get them super clean myself. If there's finger oil or hairs etc. there's some potential for overheating. They won't break tho - the 5300 series will shut down at the sign of danger - so if they do either just redo it. I bet it's all good tho. :D

It's running well. I know that. And I also know that I wish I could do it again, because it was so much fun!

[Tesselator]

it says to navigate in library to the coreservices folder, which doesn't exist on either of my macs...:(

It's MacDrivename:system:Library:CoreServices

[bozz2006]

I WAS looking under users. however, another snag...

"The document “AboutThisMac.strings” could not be saved. You do not have appropriate access privileges.

To view or change access privileges, select the item in Finder and choose File > Get Info."

I am the administrator.

[11800506]

You should be able to change permissions so that "Everyone" can have read and write access to it. Hopefully that should solve the issue. You can just change it back afterwards.

[bozz2006]

Yeah I know. It does say that i have read and write access. But still, I can't save changes. That's weird.

[bozz2006]

aaaaaaaaand I did it. I had to give myself read & write permission on every folder in the path. !

thanks you two.

[mlchang]

Got my chips today...
Still debating 2.66 quads to 2.33 octos

So only a 3mm allen key, eh? As long as the fan assembly and the left hand memory rail is out?

Still could be more fun to buy the screwdriver and the extension...

[bozz2006]

Got my chips today...
Still debating 2.66 quads to 2.33 octos

So only a 3mm allen key, eh? As long as the fan assembly and the left hand memory rail is out?

Still could be more fun to buy the screwdriver and the extension...

I'd go with the screwdriver + extension. I labored for about 20-30 minutes trying to remove the left rail portion of the memory cage, with no luck. I had no problems once i decided to opt for the long screwdriver. I only advise that you use magnetic tips. I can't imagine what a PITA it would be to retrieve a bit or the extension if it falls off.

[sejanus]

hey bozz

I have a 2006 macpro as well and was toying with the idea of upgrading it to 8.

Do I just look on ebay for the x5355 2.66ghz quad core xeon cpu and buy 2 of them? do you know if they need to be exact matching cpu's i.e. from the same batch?

thanks

[bozz2006]

That's what I did. I don't know if we can know whether they're from the same batch. Most of the sellers that are selling X5355s are actually selling batches of them, and not just singles. so, just get two from the same seller and you'll be all set. Mine are used, and they're actually engineering samples of the QVQF variety. all benchmarking software I've run sees them only as X5355, so I wouldn't worry about batches or anything like that.

but, yeah, it's as easy as searching "X5355" and sifting through the results. There don't seem to be any used ones up for sale right now, and you get a steep discount from used processors. and being that they're server processors and are built to hold up to anything/everything, i think going with used processors is the way to go. I mean, how often have you heard of a processor dying, especially a server processor?

[mlchang]

Have got the heat sink cover, front fan assembly out, and even the left hand memory rail out...bought an extension but it turned out to be too large in diameter.
I'll be back to Orange Depot to return that thing.
Now to find a skinny extension and some arctic silver.
Hopefully I should be done tomorrow...and I will update for anyone else that may be interested.

[tdar]

hey bozz

I have a 2006 macpro as well and was toying with the idea of upgrading it to 8.

Do I just look on ebay for the x5355 2.66ghz quad core xeon cpu and buy 2 of them? do you know if they need to be exact matching cpu's i.e. from the same batch?

thanks

it's best if they are from the same batch....

[pwn247]

I've also been toying with an upgrade like this down the road (maybe in a year or so when I decide to go to college for heavy photography, Photoshopping, or video editing).

Seems like it would be a worthwhile upgrade as long as it's fairly inexpensive. Chunking about $400 for a couple of LGA771 quad-core Xeons is a fairly good bargain.

The only big thing that I'm worried about is dismantling my MP. Apple made it extremely hard to get to those CPUs, and I was wondering if someone could enlighten me on what needs to happen for a clean entry and exit to and from those sockets. Installing those CPUs is no problem (I build PCs for a living). That's my only issue at this point.

[bozz2006]

pwn247, read post #11 in this thread. It links to 3 step-by-step tutorials.

[mlchang]

pwn247, read post #11 in this thread. It links to 3 step-by-step tutorials.

Just completed. With the links above and the screwdriver/extension shown in bozz2006's photos this is close to a no-brainer...go slow, be patient, don't force anything.
I've built a couple PCs in my life, so if you do this for a living it should be no problem.

[osx-linux]

I decided to go this route as well, a little over $200 each for some new in the box quad 2.66 clovertowns. :cool:

Hell of a lot cheaper than trying to upgrade to the new 2009 octacore (tho the performance numbers do make me drool a bit.)

Cheers,

[bearcatrp]

Just won a pair of 2.33 quads on ebay. Wanted to keep the heat down so went with these. Maybe go for the 3ghz later when the prices come down. I use this machine for my media center and crunch data for world community grid. Should last for a good while. :D

[bozz2006]

bearcatrp, did you do the upgrade yet?

I did go through the library to display the correct processor info in about this mac... and day before yesterday, i got major privileges problems, along with broken kext's. had to reinstall OS. so, i'd be hesitant to do that again.

[NoNameBrand]

There are better ways to edit that file than what you did with the permissions.

Using sudo in the Terminal, you could copy the file out, change the owner/permissions (and back it up!), edit it in the Terminal or the GUI, then use sudo to put it back.


Anyway, I would love to see how well the 5345s work out for you, bearcatrp, as I just won a quad 2.66 on eBay, and am looking at upgrading to an octo. (Cheaper than any other octo-mac option available to me, should have bought a refurb 2.8 in the fall when I could. Live and learn.)

The X5355s on eBay are currently quite expensive.

[bozz2006]

Keep your eyes open and keep searching, if you want the 5355s. I got them for $155 each (engineering samples).

[NoNameBrand]

Keep your eyes open and keep searching, if you want the 5355s. I got them for $155 each (engineering samples).


I'd prefer to not buy engineering samples as they may contain errata that the retail/OEM chips do not. I'm bidding on a few chips right now, we'll see how quickly they go over my threshold.

[bozz2006]

that's understandable. From my research I learned that the QVQF models are pretty much the same as the production units, so I made sure to get the QVQF units. But I see where you're coming from.

[bearcatrp]

bearcatrp, did you do the upgrade yet?

I did go through the library to display the correct processor info in about this mac... and day before yesterday, i got major privileges problems, along with broken kext's. had to reinstall OS. so, i'd be hesitant to do that again.

They are in route (mail). Hopefully have them by friday so I can do the upgrade this weekend. I don't plan on changing the display seeing you had problems. As long as its working, will not screw things up. The chips seem to go up on ebay since you bought yours. The cheapest I found for 2.66 were around 300 a piece. Since this mac pro will crunch data and being used as a media center, and they are 80w instead of 120w for the larger ones, think I will be fine. Maybe in a year or so, when the prices come down for the 3ghz ones, I'll change them again. How's your temps running lately?

[bearcatrp]

There are better ways to edit that file than what you did with the permissions.

Using sudo in the Terminal, you could copy the file out, change the owner/permissions (and back it up!), edit it in the Terminal or the GUI, then use sudo to put it back.


Anyway, I would love to see how well the 5345s work out for you, bearcatrp, as I just won a quad 2.66 on eBay, and am looking at upgrading to an octo. (Cheaper than any other octo-mac option available to me, should have bought a refurb 2.8 in the fall when I could. Live and learn.)

The X5355s on eBay are currently quite expensive.

I will run a test ripping a movie before and after to give you an idea of the upgrade. I think handbrake gives the best idea as it uses all cores when ripping.

[bozz2006]

The temps dropped down into the high 80's at idle, so i decreased my fan speeds a little. i had the cpu and exhaust set at 1000 rpm, and dropped them to 850 rpm. with casual use (itunes, safari, mactheripper, toast) temps have been in the low 90's. using photoshop and bridge they are high 90's. handbrake pushes the temps to around 120-130 degrees farenheit. still very manageable, as my macbook cpu is at 126 degrees right now with just safari open.

[sunnyvalejohn]

This thread got me energized as well. I picked up a pair of used X5355's and will start to look at putting them in my mac pro 1,1. Should be fun! Picked up an Nividia 8800GT for cheap as well.

Thanks for sharing the info on the process. Will keep you posted

Enjoy
John

[cal6n]

I did this upgrade with 5355s about a year ago. It's seriously cost-effective, especially with Snow Leopard coming soon. Add plenty of RAM and an 8800GT or 4870 and this machine can still hold its own, even with some of the new boys.

[Tesselator]

I did this upgrade with 5355s about a year ago. It's seriously cost-effective, especially with Snow Leopard coming soon. Add plenty of RAM and an 8800GT or 4870 and this machine can still hold its own, even with some of the new boys.

There's a 4870 upgrade for a 2006 Mac? Really? Where? How?

[bozz2006]

barefeats says the 4870 that works in the 2009 & 2008 model also works flawlessly in the 2006 model as well.

[bearcatrp]

Got my chips today. Will be going in this weekend. :D

[Tesselator]

barefeats says the 4870 that works in the 2009 & 2008 model also works flawlessly in the 2006 model as well.

WOW! Awesome! Got a link?

[NoNameBrand]

WOW! Awesome! Got a link?

barefeats.com.

Anyway, Rob took the drive and video card from his new Mac Pro and stuck it in his 8x3.0 Clovertown Mac Pro. Worked fine. He says on his site or in a post here that copying what he thought were the relevant files over didn't work, he had to use the boot disk from the new machine.

[Tesselator]

barefeats.com.


Oh sure... Send me to the root of a site with fifty trillion articles and the worst structure ever conceived (not to mention a search engine that isn't very useful), without a specific page. :(

I of course know that the main page is at barefeats.com. I was asking for the actual page he was reading.

[cal6n]

Preliminary post (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal01.html)

Gaming benchmarks (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal05.html)

CoreImage benchmarks (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal06.html)

[osx-linux]

Dropped them in, seems stable, working etc.

I highly recommend the long shafted torx screwdriver or allen wrench. Twas a pain to remove/install for me.

System Profiler shows :
Model Name: Mac Pro
Model Identifier: MacPro1,1
Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors: 2
Total Number Of Cores: 8
...

Yay!

Anyhow, activity monitor only shows 1 graph for the cpus... odd. I suppose this is expected?

[bozz2006]

mine does the same. double click the little cpu "graph" inside activity monitor, and a new window will pop up showing all 8 cores.

[bearcatrp]

Finally done. According to apple, its supposed to be a 3mm hex to remove the heatsink. I tried the #15 torx but wouldn't work. No one sells a long allen wrench in 3mm so bought the T kind, ripped off the plastic handle, bent almost straight, then it worked. Ran the cinebench test. Here are the results:

2.0 ghz quad
render 1 cpu 2184
multi cpu 7457
open gl 2867

2.33 octo
render 1 cpu 2534
multi cpu 14834
open gl 2867

2.8 octo 2008 mac pro
render 1 cpu 3232
multi cpu 18245
open gl 6093

Heat is up a bit. Plan on running a movie once per day, then shut down. Figure after 7 days, should be ready to go full time. Now I need to sell the older one to recoup some of this project.

[bearcatrp]

You guys want to run cinebench and post your results?

[bozz2006]

http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu177/bozz_2006Place/screen-capture.png?t=1237754145

[bearcatrp]

Looks good. My temps playing a movie are 108 degrees cpu B while cpu A is around 95 degrees. Don't know why but cpu B ran hotter running the quads too. Does yours show around a 12 degree difference?

[bozz2006]

I don't really watch movies on mine. I'll put one on and let it run for a while then let you know what my temps are. Generally, they run between 95-105 degrees, and are between 1-6 degrees difference.

[bearcatrp]

Run it without turning up the fans.

[bozz2006]

Yeah, I am doing it with smcfancontroll off. temps are hovering right around 94 degrees for processor A and 92 degrees for processor B. temps are going between 90-95 for both processors.

[bearcatrp]

Mine always ran a bit hot. Bought it as a refurb. Its in my room too so probably why it runs a little hotter. Not sure why the temp differences though between the two processors.

[bozz2006]

you said it ran like that before you switched the processors right? must be that one of your heatsinks performs a little better than the other.

[bearcatrp]

Could be. Did find allot of dust bunnies when it was apart. Needed a good cleaning. After a week of on and off, will crank up crunching full time and see how the temps compare from the quads.

[osx-linux]

New, not engineering samples, no overclocking.
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT (if that matters)
octo 2.66 x5355 with cinebench release10:

single 2888
multi 16975
opengl 2830

[bearcatrp]

New, not engineering samples, no overclocking.
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT (if that matters)
octo 2.66 x5355 with cinebench release10:

single 2888
multi 16975
opengl 2830

Can you play a dvd without raising your fans? Wants to see what your temps on both processors are. Give it about 15 minutes. tnks

[bozz2006]

bearcat, there should be no reason that your fans get bumped playing a dvd. I mean, i'm playing one now and it's taking up ~1% of CPU. If your fans ramp up when watching a DVD, i've gotta guess that your software is playing nice. check it out.

[bearcatrp]

I just wanted to see his temps running a movie without using smcfancontrol. Mine doesn't ramp up when playing. Just goes up to what i posted earlier. Kind of comparing temps from other mac pro owners of the same generation to see differences in cpu temps. Still bothers me that i have about a 15 degrees difference between cpu's. Just wondering if its a bad mobo. Been running this one almost 24/7 for 3 yrs without problems so guess if it was bad, would have died by now.

[osx-linux]

Don't know exactly what temps your looking for, but here's the full shebang:

Ambient Air: 75.2

CPUA Heatsink: 95
CPUB Heatsink: 100

CPU Core 1: 125
CPU Core 2: 120
CPU Core 3: 116
CPU Core 4: 116
CPU Core 5: 109
CPU Core 6: 109
CPU Core 7: 107
CPU Core 8: 107

[bearcatrp]

Thanks for the info. Guess its time to put this one out in the living room were it has more air to breathe. Bedroom stays nice and toasty in the winter time running 24/7.

[osx-linux]

I think CPU B is always going to run a little hotter... CPUA its next to the open air spot of the case, while CPU B sits next to CPUA on one side and the solid case on the other.

Just out of curiosity, did you reinstall the curved L-shaped aluminum flap that covers the 2 CPU/heatsink assemblies?

[bozz2006]

No. They both have fan to the left, and memory cage to the right. The CPU's are not side-by-side, but rather, one above the other.

[bearcatrp]

I think CPU B is always going to run a little hotter... CPUA its next to the open air spot of the case, while CPU B sits next to CPUA on one side and the solid case on the other.

Just out of curiosity, did you reinstall the curved L-shaped aluminum flap that covers the 2 CPU/heatsink assemblies?

Yes I did. Looks to help the air flow. I figured since the tower stands up, cpu b being lower, heat rises, that cpu b would run cooler.

[bozz2006]

bearcat, what is your RAM configuration? I see you have 8GB. If you have 8x1GB, I'd imagine that would make things pretty toasty in there.

[bearcatrp]

bearcat, what is your RAM configuration? I see you have 8GB. If you have 8x1GB, I'd imagine that would make things pretty toasty in there.

Yeah, 8X1gb modules. Its best to have all slots filled (from what I have read) on this generation mac pro. Still going through the cycling process (periodic on and off) until sunday, then it goes on full time. How did your reinstall go? Think it had anything to do with the ES chips you got?

[bozz2006]

reinstall went fine. the problem was that certain (or all) of my privileges were messed up, so the folders said I had access to everything, but whenever i tried to do anything, it said i didn't have sufficient privileges. I'm about 99.9% sure that the problem arose from my messing around with my root folders to make "about this mac" display the chips correctly. I was messing with things I shouldn't have been, and it affected my system. It was 100% my fault. So, my advice would be to NOT mess around with the tip detailed at this link. (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050809204632497&lsrc=osxh) I had trouble getting "permission" to make this change, so I gave myself permission for everything in my entire system folder. Dumb move, and I paid for it!

P.S. I have 4x2GB of RAM, so that probably has something to do with why my system seems to run a little cooler. those FB-DIMMs get really friggin hot!

[bearcatrp]

reinstall went fine. the problem was that certain (or all) of my privileges were messed up, so the folders said I had access to everything, but whenever i tried to do anything, it said i didn't have sufficient privileges. I'm about 99.9% sure that the problem arose from my messing around with my root folders to make "about this mac" display the chips correctly. I was messing with things I shouldn't have been, and it affected my system. It was 100% my fault. So, my advice would be to NOT mess around with the tip detailed at this link. (http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050809204632497&lsrc=osxh) I had trouble getting "permission" to make this change, so I gave myself permission for everything in my entire system folder. Dumb move, and I paid for it!

P.S. I have 4x2GB of RAM, so that probably has something to do with why my system seems to run a little cooler. those FB-DIMMs get really friggin hot!

Interesting article. Guess i'll move to 4 modules instead of 8.
http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2811&p=5

[Tesselator]

Preliminary post (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal01.html)

Gaming benchmarks (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal05.html)

CoreImage benchmarks (http://www.barefeats.com/nehal06.html)

Thanks cal6n!

But from what I can gather from those they're basically saying that it can not be done and further that they haven't actually tried it either. :(

Bummer, I was getting all hopeful and stuff. :)

[cal6n]

Thanks cal6n!

But from what I can gather from those they're basically saying that it can not be done and further that they haven't actually tried it either. :(

Bummer, I was getting all hopeful and stuff. :)

As I read it, the 4870 works in the 3 GHz Clovertown Mac Pro, but only if the boot drive from the new Mac Pro is used. This would suggest to me that the 4870 will be usable in all the Clovertown range eventually, either through an OS update or a very simple hack.

*edit* Remember that 10.5.7 is just around the corner and that no retail 4870s have shipped yet. Basically, we just don't know!

[bozz2006]

the suspense is killing me.

[Tesselator]

As I read it, the 4870 works in the 3 GHz Clovertown Mac Pro, but only if the boot drive from the new Mac Pro is used. This would suggest to me that the 4870 will be usable in all the Clovertown range eventually, either through an OS update or a very simple hack.

*edit* Remember that 10.5.7 is just around the corner and that no retail 4870s have shipped yet. Basically, we just don't know!

Mmmm... I don't know enough to make a case but I think it's the MB and not the proc. The 2006 Mac Pro will accept a clovertown as this very thread indicates. Yet the expansion slot bus between the 06/07 MP and the 08 MP is of a different speed and controller. I guess it will work in the 08 MP but not prior. They tried it in an 08 right? And even then they NEEDED an HDD that was installed with OS X as sitting in an 09 machine. So if you don't have that or don't know the hack to make up the difference it can't even be installed in an 08 machine.

So I read it as Barefeats more wishful thinking; 08 maybe, 07/06; not a chance.

I hope I'm wrong tho!!! I would spend a few hours getting the 4870 to work in my 06 2.66 8-core! Right now it's the 7300GT :(

[bozz2006]

barefeats used it successfully in a 2006 mac pro with the boot disk from the 2009 mac pro.

[Tesselator]

barefeats used it successfully in a 2006 mac pro with the boot disk from the 2009 mac pro.

Where do you see that? I see:

"Since writing this article, we tested the Radeon HD 4870 in the first generation Clovertown Mac Pro and published those results. We booted with the same build of OS X 10.5.6 that ships with the Nehalem Mac Pros."

Which are not 2006 MPs right? At least Clovertown wasn't available when I bought mine in Feb. 2007.


EDIT:
Hmm after rereading all the articles they do say that "a friend" did it:

"Apple is officially supporting only 2009 and 2008 Mac Pros with the Radeon HD 4870 kit. And it requires either the build of OS X 10.5.6 with the February 2009 ATI drivers -- or OS X 10.5.7 (not yet golden).

As with the Radeon HD 3870 and HD 2600, ATI included both a 32-bit and 64-bit EFI driver in the ROM, so it should work in all models of Mac Pro with the latest drivers. We installed in the Clovertown first generation 8-core Mac Pro (as you can see from the graphs above) and a close colleague installed it in a 2.66GHz Woodcrest 4-core first generation Mac Pro. As long as you have two power feeds for the card in your first generation Mac Pro and have the correct drivers properly installed, it should work fine."

Hmmm.. Hope?

[cal6n]

As I understand it, Clovertown and Woodcrest are merely processor names. I could be wrong but I don't believe Apple changed their motherboard significantly, and certainly not in their PCIe specs, when they started using the quad-cores.

Personally, I'm running an 8800GT with an Accelero S1 Mk2 passive cooler and I don't see any need to change yet. I wouldn't want to upgrade my graphical power at the expense of fanless silence.

I do keep an eye on ebay for some X5365s, though, so I've not finished upgrading yet. And maybe the Accelero will be efficient enough to take on the 4870...

Time will tell.

[bozz2006]

A 2006 mac pro is the same as a 2007 mac pro. Technically, there's no such thing as a 2007 mac pro. There is a 2006, 2008, and 2009. the clovertown mac pro is the same as a woodcrest mac pro, other than the processor. they're both 2006 mac pros, technically, in that they both use the 65nm process. if the card works in a 2007 mac pro, it will work in a 2006 mac pro. if it works in a clovertown mac pro, it will work in a woodcrest mac pro.

[Tesselator]

A 2006 mac pro is the same as a 2007 mac pro. Technically, there's no such thing as a 2007 mac pro. There is a 2006, 2008, and 2009. the clovertown mac pro is the same as a woodcrest mac pro, other than the processor. they're both 2006 mac pros, technically, in that they both use the 65nm process. if the card works in a 2007 mac pro, it will work in a 2006 mac pro. if it works in a clovertown mac pro, it will work in a woodcrest mac pro.

Well that's good news! Now just to find out how. Is there a site somewhere that has a list of cards and ROM flash files around? Or in the case of the 4870 some how-to on installing the drivers?


--
Also if this is true and I don't doubt that it is, then why is Apple so stingy with it's official offerings?

[Tesselator]

Hehehe, the silence is very telling. :)

So none of this is actually doable and we dealing with hypothetics?

[bozz2006]

it's more than hypothetical. it's been done. but most of us don't have an extra boot drive from a nehalem mac pro lying around. we're going to have to wait until we can actually get our hands on a 4870 from apple, and probably wait for 10.5.7. patience sucks.

plus, only a small handful of people look at this thread. I don't think there are many 2006 pro owners who're interested in using the 4870. most 2006 pro owners have already sold their computer for a newer model.

[NoNameBrand]

Also if this is true and I don't doubt that it is, then why is Apple so stingy with it's official offerings?

Most people that want bleeding edge performance are willing to upgrade the whole computer; it's also one less series to support.

I don't think there are many 2006 pro owners who're interested in using the 4870. most 2006 pro owners have already sold their computer for a newer model.

haha, I just bought a 2006 Mac Pro. As I've said elsewhere, I missed the boat on refurb 8x2.8 Mac Pros in the fall waiting on the new ones, and suddenly I can't get that model for any decent price up here. The 8x 2.26 is over twice the price I paid for my used one - there's a new D300 camera in that difference.

I plan on getting a PC 4870 to flash when the prices come down. The 3870 will be fine for now.

[Tesselator]

Yeah, that's my thinking too.

And about the 2006 machines... If they're still in service then they still have owners. If those people want a MUCH faster machine for $45 in the 8800 case or $200 in the 4870 case as opposed to Apple's $400 and instead of upgrading the whole machine for $4,000 (in this economy) then I guess there is an audience. The problem as I see it is getting the information to the audience. I guess most Mac Pro users don't have any idea that it's even possible. And I haven't seen any sites that tell which exact cards will work in which machine nor what has to be done in order to get it to work.

Had even I, I would be running a 8800 right now. They're currently going for $45 ~ $75 here in Japan. :)

[Tristram]

bozz2006 you seem to be an expert on Mac pro cpu upgrades.

I have a 2006/2007 Mac Pro with 2 x 2.66ghz dual core CPU's

I have brought on ebay 2 x X5355 2.66Ghz on ebay for £206

I have a number of questions for you,

1. Your mac pro shows the Cpu's as unknown is this because they are sample cpus , or because they didn't ship with apple products.

2. there is going to be any jumper changes from the original 5150's i had in there i.e. going from 62 watts to 120 watts.

3. There seems to be a lot of discussion about what tools you need to extract the screws from the mac pro's heatsinks could you show me exactly what i need so I can look for it in UK diy shops , it doesn't matter so much if it isn't magnetic as i have extraction tools of my own.

4. I know I am going to need some thermal paste, what is the solution i will need to remove the existing paste from my heatsinks.

5. Did the terminal commands atchally work to change the name in about mac or is it not worth doing.

6. Do I have to change the SMC fan settings or is this non essential.

7. After you have done this cpu upgrade procedure have you run into any long term issues ?


I would be really happy if you could answer any of these questions or any other users in the macrumors forums

[bozz2006]

1. Your mac pro shows the Cpu's as unknown is this because they are sample cpus , or because they didn't ship with apple products.

I believe it is because they didn't ship. The only 8 core option that was offered for machines of that vintage was the 3.0ghz. I don't think the 5355 will show up as anything but unknown, regardless of whether they're samples or aftermarket or oem.

2. there is going to be any jumper changes from the original 5150's i had in there i.e. going from 62 watts to 120 watts.

you don't need to change any of that. the mac pro is fully capable of running the two 4 core cpus with no change in any other hardware.

3. There seems to be a lot of discussion about what tools you need to extract the screws from the mac pro's heatsinks could you show me exactly what i need so I can look for it in UK diy shops , it doesn't matter so much if it isn't magnetic as i have extraction tools of my own.

Tools you'll need are covered pretty well in the tutorials that I linked to.Number One (http://www.hardmac.com/articles/70/page1/) Number Two (http://www.o0o.it/pro/) Number Three (http://www.anandtech.com/mac/showdoc.aspx?i=2832&p=3) Basically, all you need is screwdrivers. a #1 size philips head (+) will take care of most of the the disassembly. A short shafted one is most useful to remove the lower screws in the memory cage. You'll need a long one to remove the single screw from the front fan assembly. If you don't have these, I'm sure you know some people who'd be happy to borrow you a few screwdrivers for the day. The important thing to know is that the heatsinks can be a bit of a pain to remove if you don't have the correct tools. what worked for me was a regulare interchangeable head screwdrvie like this.
http://news.thomasnet.com/images/large/814/814906.jpg

and added an extension like:

http://www.blackrhinotools.com/image.php?productid=16683

These are pretty standard and can be found almost anywhere hand tools are sold. Just make sure that the extension is of a narrow enough diameter to fit in the small cut-out around the heatsink fins. the heatsinks are held in place with torx (or hexagonal) screws. They are 3mm, and I think that equals a T15 torx bit. a 3mm allen wrench will also got the job done, but it's a tight squeeze to get your hand down in there. I'd recommend the screwdriver.

4. I know I am going to need some thermal paste, what is the solution i will need to remove the existing paste from my heatsinks.

I used this (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FVI91U) kit from amazon.com. It worked great. I think that this would be readily available from any brick & mortar or online electronics store you prefer

5. Did the terminal commands atchally work to change the name in about mac or is it not worth doing.

The terminal commands did eventually work to change the name... sort of. I had to mess with a bunch of the system permissions, and it eventually hosed me, and I had to reinstall the OS. The permission were screwed up that even a time machine backup wouldn't work. My recommendation to you would be to not mess around with this. For me it was kind of a vanity thing, and it wore off pretty quick. Just don't do it. Not worth the hassle.

6. Do I have to change the SMC fan settings or is this non essential.

I don't think it's essential at all. I like to keep my system nice and cool. I keep the fans at around 900rpm and the CPUs run at about 32 degrees Celsius during internet use and heat up to 40-45 degrees when under a heavier load. Compared with my macbook in which the CPU gets up to close to 70 degrees at times. So, no worries about temps.

7. After you have done this cpu upgrade procedure have you run into any long term issues ?

I haven't experienced a single negative issue, aside from the self-inflicted pain I caused by messing with the terminal and permissions. It's been great, and I couldn't be happier with this upgrade.



Let me know if you have any other questions.
edit: A couple of tips -
1. Remove all the HD's and the video card first to give yourself more room to work.
2. I don't know for sure whether the heatsinks are identical or if there is a top and bottom. Take care which one came from where. Be careful to make sure the foamrubber bumpers don't fall off.
3. One of the tutorials tells you how to do the upgrade by taking out the memory cage completely. I didn't do this. It is snapped into place pretty well, and I didn't want to break it. If you have the extendable screwdriver, removing the memory cage is completely unnecessary.
4. The most difficult part of the upgrade for me was plugging the heatsink leads back into the logic board. Be careful and patient when you do this. This is a vital step.

[Tesselator]

I'd like to answer too so you'll have two to go by. I basically agree with everything bozz says but:


1. Your mac pro shows the Cpu's as unknown is this because they are sample cpus , or because they didn't ship with apple products.

The OS detects the system by motherboard revision and installs definition tags based on what was shipped with that model. If it's one of the CPUs in the list then it gets the ID tag - if not, not. It has no other affect tho. It's just a string.


2. there is going to be any jumper changes from the original 5150's i had in there i.e. going from 62 watts to 120 watts.

Nope. It just all works. Any of the 53xx models just drop right in. If I were doing this today i would drop in the 3.2GHz ones. At the time I did mine in early 2007 those were not to be had reasonably tho. :(


3. There seems to be a lot of discussion about what tools you need to extract the screws from the mac pro's heatsinks could you show me exactly what i need so I can look for it in UK diy shops , it doesn't matter so much if it isn't magnetic as i have extraction tools of my own.

All you need is an alan wrench and a screwdriver. You might wanna replace the alan wrench with the torx driver bozz showed but it doesn't matter that much.


4. I know I am going to need some thermal paste, what is the solution i will need to remove the existing paste from my heatsinks.

Most system technicians use and recommend plain old acetone. I used acetone myself too. Worked beautifully!


5. Did the terminal commands atchally work to change the name in about mac or is it not worth doing.

Worked for me without a hitch. Didn't need to changer permissions or anything. You can add any string you like so it could say anything like:

Processor: Yes!

Processor: Holy Cow! It's Fasssst!

Processor: 256 Core 6502 @ 4MHz

Processor: It's My Secret, and I'm NOT Telling!

or like Apple puts for their quad core machines:
Processor: 2 x 2.66 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon

;)


6. Do I have to change the SMC fan settings or is this non essential.

You don't have to no. I do because I like my machine and wanna give the components a nice environment to live in.


7. After you have done this cpu upgrade procedure have you run into any long term issues ?

Zero issues after 2.5 years of 24/7 use. It just runs faster. :)

[bearcatrp]

My upgrade went from 2ghz quad to 2.33 octo. Zero problems running 24-7 crunch data. My temps did rise a bit but smcfancontrol to keep it cool. Do what bozz tells you and you won't have any problems. Its not as hard as you think if you have tinkered with computers before.

[NoNameBrand]

Nope. It just all works. Any of the 53xx models just drop right in. If I were doing this today i would drop in the 3.2GHz ones. At the time I did mine in early 2007 those were not to be had reasonably tho.

They're not exactly reasonably priced now, either.

[Tristram]

Thanks for all the help I will update you guys later on how the upgrade goes.

all the best
Tristram

[Tesselator]

They're not exactly reasonably priced now, either.

Really? I'm seeing used pairs for $500 and $600. That's for two of them.

[NoNameBrand]

Really? I'm seeing used pairs for $500 and $600. That's for two of them.

I'm not seeing pairs for sale at all on eBay, and the single X5355s seem to be going for more than that (I'm not shopping in US$, though) Should I be looking elsewhere?

I see a seller that's had them before has them currently running at $70USD, but the last several he sold went for $350-$400US a pop.

[bozz2006]

I got my ES model 5355's for $155 each on ebay. and that is as cheap as I've seen them.

[Tristram]

Hey guys the CPU upgrade went completely successful , ( even the editing about my mac)

If your interested I documented the process with photos on my website.

http://www.segaretro.com/?p=178

also put a mention to bozz2006 & Tesselator who spent there time to help me out.

I will write up later with my evaluation etc.

Also got a geekbench score for my machine of 9915
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/134647

which is second highest for the mac pro 1,1 only being beaten by 3ghz one with 8gb of ram not bad

[bozz2006]

sweet! glad everything went well. this really is a cost-effective upgrade. I wonder why more people don't do it.

edit: I want to get a new vid card.

[Tristram]

I want to know for certain if the GTX 285 for mac will work with the 06 system

[bozz2006]

Are you guys selling off your 5150's? I'm trying to decide if i want to sell them for a little cash or hold onto them in case, for some crazy reason, the new processors explode or something. lol. Should I sell my 5150's?

[bearcatrp]

I think i will hang on to mine for a bit just in case i have an issue were i can pop them back in to check the mobo. Really shouldn't have any problems but who knows if you start having issues. Good to have a spare.

[bozz2006]

That's the way I feel. I also have all the RAM that I've ever replaced. Just in case! Paranoid? Possibly.

[Tesselator]

I was thinking to get a compatible MB, a PSU, some RAM and a drive and use them in another machine. Maybe headless via 10,000bps LAN off my current machine. :D Of course, I've been thinking about it since Q4 2006 when I changed them out but hey - now prices are WAY LOWER. :)

[gugucom]

I've just put my 5150ies out on Ebay. I saw a guy get 212 US $ for his and that kind of cash would bring down my total cost of the 5365 upgrade to a nice level. It will be a help towards those SSDs as well.

[bozz2006]

ah, the SSDs. Don't get me drooling!

[bearcatrp]

Been thinking of getting a ssd myself. They are expensive for a 256gb so might get a smaller one for a scratch disc.

[JPamplin]

That was me! Just shipped them out yesterday.

JP

I've just put my 5150ies out on Ebay. I saw a guy get 212 US $ for his and that kind of cash would bring down my total cost of the 5365 upgrade to a nice level. It will be a help towards those SSDs as well.

[Spacedust]

I just got my E5345's from one of the sellers on eBay. The problem is they had different steppings. Will they work ?

[Heferkimbo]

Hello good people of MacRumors... i saw this thread and i decided to do an upgrade my mac pro 2006, but i would like to know where i can find compatible processors for this model, are Intel Xeon 5355 the only ones that i can use?

I cant find them, everywhere i look they ran out of them and are out of stock. Can you recommend me some other processor?

thank you for the very useful post... specially for upgrading newbies like myself

[bozz2006]

you're going to want "clovertown" processors. you can read about them here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeon). You should read most of that entry, in fact. It will get you a well-rounded understanding of what you're getting into. The clovertowns are quad core, and their model number begins with "53". For instance, 5355, 5365, 5345, etc. the last two numbers designate specific clock speeds in GHz. the 5365 is 3.0GHz, the 5355 is 2.66GHz, etc. you will have a lot of difficulty finding them new anywhere. They're too old for that. Your very best bet is ebay, looking for used processors. Most sellers will guarantee that they work, and to be honest, the Xeons are the Mack Trucks of processors, and are very very durable, so don't worry about buying a used set. Last piece of advice is to check ebay very often. Be diligent and be patient, and it will pay off.

[Turbo89]

I do not yet have a Mac Pro, but looking to get one in the near future. I have found a great deal on a 2x2.0ghz dual core machine. I just want to clarify that I can upgrade this machine. I am hoping to go with the 2.66 8 core or maybe just the 2.66 4 core. Will any Woodcrest or Clovertown processor work with the 2.0ghz machines?

Thanks

[hyram]

You need to know what version you have. MacPro1,1 are 4 core machines made in 2006/7, MacPro2,1 is 8 core made in 2007, MacPro3,1 was both 4 and 8 cores made in 2008, and the 2009's are MacPro4,1 both 4 and 8 core. Let the collective know then someone can help you out.

[Turbo89]

You need to know what version you have. MacPro1,1 are 4 core machines made in 2006/7, MacPro2,1 is 8 core made in 2007, MacPro3,1 was both 4 and 8 cores made in 2008, and the 2009's are MacPro4,1 both 4 and 8 core. Let the collective know then someone can help you out.

It will be a 1,1. 2 x Dual Core 2.0ghz

[hyram]

Then any of the 51xx or 53xx series should work just fine.

[gugucom]

Then any of the 51xx or 53xx series should work just fine.

2x X5365 with 3,0 GHz Octad is the top dog.

[kal2011]

that should be a huge improvement. I thought long and hard before opting for the 2.66's over the 2.33's. hope you win. My aim right now is to figure out if it's possible for "about this mac" to correctly report the processors. I have windows xp running under bootcamp, and windows reports them correctly....

and don't worry about melting the motherboard. The general belief is that all the internals of every mac pro of that generation is the same, from the 2.0GHz quad core to the 3.0 GHz 8-core.

Hi this is my first post. I am looking for answers to some simple questions. Apple support tends to say it is impossible and that they do not sell motherboards seperately. I just want to confirm.

1. Is it possible to upgrade my 2.66 dual core motherboard or just processors to 6 or even 8 core processors? Which makes more sense economically?

2. If so, which processors and speeds would make the most sense for Photoshop CS5 and FCP 7? I would like to get the greatest performance boost for my buck.

3. Where can I purchase them?

4. Is there an instructional video anyone has posted as to how to install them myself?

[downhillpony]

i am looking to do the same thing with my 2006 1st gen 1,1.

post back if you find anything, i'll do the same.

i was also considering buying one of those mac pro boxes

they sell on ebay and building a new one from scratch.

maybe the sandy bridge 17 stuff.

[kevinfng]

Thank you for posting this thread and everyone contributing.

[techblast]

Just checking ahead of time. I decided NOT to go for a $5K Mac Pro UNTIL Apple decides to support SATAIII/ USB 3.0. Until then it is a Monitor / Graphic Card / CPU upgrade.

QUESTION - Can I simply use the Mac Pro's original CPU Heatsinks?

[PurpleLogix]

Yes, I did on my 2006. I don't think you can find alternatives as they are custom made.

[Midphase]

Hello all,

just posted part 1 of a 2 part video tutorial on how to swap the CPU in the 1st gen Mac Pro here:

http://youtu.be/wmz7gPw31L0

I should have part 2 up this week-end, but this will give you a good idea on the basics of what's involved and what to purchase before getting started.

Enjoy!

[Midphase]

Both parts are up:


Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmz7gPw31L0

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/phzn8MPaDtQ

Enjoy!

[Sweetfeld28]

Both parts are up:


Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmz7gPw31L0

Part 2:

http://youtu.be/phzn8MPaDtQ

Enjoy!

Thanks for the videos.



I'm a little late to this whole thing of upgrading my 2.0 MP, but I just wanted to ask some questions before going a head and buying my processors.


1. Has anyone upgraded to the X5365 Xeons running at 3 GHz? I just recently found these pretty cheap, and am considering buying a matched pair for around $500.

2. Has anyone ran into issues besides running hotter?


Hopefully this will revive an old thread, and maybe some people could share the performance they have had since doing the upgrade.

[Flocarino]

Thanks for the videos.



I'm a little late to this whole thing of upgrading my 2.0 MP, but I just wanted to ask some questions before going a head and buying my processors.


1. Has anyone upgraded to the X5365 Xeons running at 3 GHz? I just recently found these pretty cheap, and am considering buying a matched pair for around $500.

2. Has anyone ran into issues besides running hotter?


Hopefully this will revive an old thread, and maybe some people could share the performance they have had since doing the upgrade.


Absolutely NO issues, they run beautifully and I wait for my SSD from OWC any day now :)

[Neodym]

1. Has anyone upgraded to the X5365 Xeons running at 3 GHz? I just recently found these pretty cheap, and am considering buying a matched pair for around $500.

X5355's @ 2.66GHz are significantly cheaper and the loss in computing power is hard to notice imo.


2. Has anyone ran into issues besides running hotter?

Not really an issue you would probably notice, but the latest stepping not only needs less power in idle mode (= less heat), but you also don't need to worry too much about microkernel updates to the CPU (most of them already present in the latest stepping), which normally come with Apple's patches and won't happen with earlier steppings in this situation, as the new CPU's are not properly recognized in a MP 1,1. There are hacks to at least display the correct identification in "About this Mac", but i don't know whether those would also (re-)enable automatic microkernel updates for those new CPU's.


Hopefully this will revive an old thread, and maybe some people could share the performance they have had since doing the upgrade.

According to Geekbench results the performance roughly doubles, however that depends massively on your usage scenario. There are still not that many applications to make real use of the increased core count (except for the usual suspects like handbrake and other video-intensive programs).

When i had to restart my MP last night it would show 100% load on all eight cores during startup with several autostart entries (and i had the feeling this went faster than in the past from the first moment showing the finder until programs being ready for user interaction), so in the future the benefit of more cores may increase over time.

[Sweetfeld28]

X5355's @ 2.66GHz are significantly cheaper and the loss in computing power is hard to notice imo.

According to Geekbench results the performance roughly doubles, however that depends massively on your usage scenario. There are still not that many applications to make real use of the increased core count (except for the usual suspects like handbrake and other video-intensive programs).


Thanks for the info. Yeah, I noticed the X5355's were cheaper [X5355 prices (http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=X5355)], verses the X5365's [X5365 prices (http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=X5365&gallery=1)].

I bought the X5365's yesterday from that ALLHDD.com place, for $274/each. Which in my mind isn't a bad deal, considering my MP is now 5 years old.

I use my MP as my main computer at home, archiving all my music, movies designs, and other stuff. Since I usually leave my MP on all the time, for network storage and aTV, I figured it might as well be crunching some proteins as well. So, I have also been using folding@home. However, my MP seems to be bottlenecked while it is running folding in the background. Istat pro, shows that while i'm folding, and doing anything else, the processors are maxed at 100%. Yes, I know I can shut this off, but I would like to try and help out.

I do also use my MP for rendering PS files, and videos as well. So, it will be a welcomed speed bump to this apps as well.

[Sweetfeld28]

Does anyone know if the processors have to be a matched pair, or not? Will they work, if they are not?

[nambuccaheadsau]

Sweetfeld28 desirable but not essential. Have a look at this link from Apple Discussions. It is quite lengthy and contains some great information.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2809634?start=45&tstart=0

And upgrading from 2.66 X5150 to the X5355, Geekbench tests showed an increase of 92%.

[Sweetfeld28]

Have a look at this link from Apple Discussions. It is quite lengthy and contains some great information.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2809634?start=45&tstart=0


Yes, the discussions were very helpful. However, one thing I noticed toward the end of the article on the last page, people were discussing the X5365 and Kernal Panics. Some even stated they had to use an altered Apple Firmware [Apple Firmware 2,1 from Netkas Forums] to correct the issues with KP's.

Did anyone have to do this, or have Kernal Panics as a result of their upgrade?

[Neodym]

[...]people were discussing the X5365 and Kernal Panics. [...]
Did anyone have [...] Kernal Panics as a result of their upgrade?
I never had Kernel Panics after upgrading to a pair of X5355. However - that might be connected to
a) the mainstream software i'm using (no usage of special, "rare" CPU functions) and
b) the fact that i went for the latest G0 stepping (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1210403&highlight=), which has most of the microcode corrections already on board.

[Silicon Sam]

Yes, the discussions were very helpful. However, one thing I noticed toward the end of the article on the last page, people were discussing the X5365 and Kernal Panics. Some even stated they had to use an altered Apple Firmware [Apple Firmware 2,1 from Netkas Forums] to correct the issues with KP's.

Did anyone have to do this, or have Kernal Panics as a result of their upgrade?

Yes, I had 3 KP's within a few days after doing the CPU swap. Twice while printing. I also found the Netkas mod, and changed by firmware to 2,1 and haven't had a single KP since then, around 30 days now. And I have been stress testing my CPU's with plenty of Handbrake use.

[nambuccaheadsau]

Installed the X5355's and never have experienced a KP, touches wood, before or since doing the Mac Pro 2.1 update.

[Sweetfeld28]

Thanks for the info.


Well, my order fell through for the X5365's. The company I bought them from just sent a email stating that they sold out of them, and won't be reordering them.

So, I jumped on eBay, and bought 2 of the X5355's [SLAEG (G0)] instead for $300. They are used pulls from servers, so I'm hoping they don't have any issues.

[Sweetfeld28]

Ok guys, I updated my processors yesterday, and so far have been running without any issues.


I did want to ask however, what are your temps at during normal usage? I just noticed that with the Quad 2.0 my temps were in the mid to upper 80's on both processors.

Now, with the Octo 2.66 setup, my temps seem to be around 86 on processor A, and 90 on processor B. When under full load while folding@home, temps are in the 110-120's range. I'm just wondering if i'm in the normal range, as far as temps are concerned?

[Neodym]

Unless those are Celsius values you should be absolutely fine.

[nambuccaheadsau]

X5355 running at 35ºC (94ºF) so you are okay.

[Sweetfeld28]

Unless those are Celsius values you should be absolutely fine.

They are actually Fahrenheit measurements. Here are my temps, as of right now from iStat Pro.


Thanks for the input guys.

[fastpat]

Thanks for the videos.


I'm a little late to this whole thing of upgrading my 2.0 MP, but I just wanted to ask some questions before going a head and buying my processors.


1. Has anyone upgraded to the X5365 Xeons running at 3 GHz? I just recently found these pretty cheap, and am considering buying a matched pair for around $500.

2. Has anyone ran into issues besides running hotter?


Hopefully this will revive an old thread, and maybe some people could share the performance they have had since doing the upgrade.I have a 2006/2007 Mac Pro (build date Sep 2007) that came with 3.0ghz 5160s, I replaced them with 5365s last Monday and they're doing fine. Cost for the two processors was $500.00 including shipping.

Before the CPU swap the heat sink temps were: CPU A - 32ºC, CPU B - 30ºC, ambient temp was 23ºC. I had these temps by running the CPU/RAM cooling fan at 1000 rpm, which is not very noisy and I like the notion of longer component life.

After the swap, with the cooling fan at the same rpm, the temps are: CPU A - 28ºC, CPU b - 27ºC, ambient 21ºC. I regard the smcFanControl app as a next to necessary addition to the whole computer longevity thing, it allows a lot of experimenting with temp control based on the environment in which you run your machine.

I also ran the ROM updater which enabled the CPUs to be recognized, now I have a Mac Pro 2,1 according to "About this Mac".

[Sweetfeld28]

I also ran the ROM updater which enabled the CPUs to be recognized, now I have a Mac Pro 2,1 according to "About this Mac".

I flashed the firmware, and added the text to change the processor name; however neither of these changed the status of my MP 1,1 to being a 2,1. Anyone know why?

[Fangio]

I'm upgrading the processors in my Mac Pro 1,1 to a Xeon 5160. I've been looking on eBay for a deal and I've seen ones that say "SLABS" and ones that say "SLAG9." What is the difference between the two? Does it matter which on I get?In general, it doesn't matter. All steppings do work in 1.1, you can even mix them.
SLAG9 is latest stepping rev. and (according to some people here) it has little lower power consumption when idle.

Quoted from another thread. Interesting to me is the last part: I'm in a similar boat, could get a good deal on two X5365 3GHz QC for my MP 1,1 2.66. They have the SLA4P stepping though, instead of SLAED which should be also more desirable with regard to less power consumption from what I've read.

Is that correct, and could this be fixed – maybe flashing the MP's firmware to 2,1 would do the trick? Thanks.

[Fangio]

Anyone familiar with the Clovertown series of Xeon CPUs? :rolleyes: